Mad Men: "The Rejected" Review

It's a busy week for Pete, while Peg makes a new friend who'd like to get really close.

Was it just me, or was this episode a bit more comedic than most? Not that I think Mad Men became Parks and Recreation here or anything, and there was still plenty of the sweet pain and misery the show does so well, but there was also a greater number of slightly offbeat and humorous moments than are the norm.

I'm thinking of Freddie's running commentary, as Allison broke down during the group discussion with Dr. Faye Miller. Our sympathies were with Allison, of course, but it was also admittedly funny to hear Freddie first lament, "How the hell did this get so sad this fast?", about the overall mood of the group of women, and then, "I could see she was going to crack!", as Allison did just that. I also laughed out lout when Peg returned, from a very failed attempt to console Allison after she fled, and Freddie declared, "Nothing else good happened."

There was also the very comical visual of Peggy peaking her head up to the window at the top of the wall separating Don's office from hers, to spy on him – and even Peg hitting herself in the head, to show her "Argh, life!" despair, in the wake of learning Pete was going to have a baby.

I must say, I enjoyed all of the above content – I don't think Mad Men should be like this all the time, mind you, but it was fun to have an episode play a bit more goofy than the norm. Lastly, on this subject, I love that the only time we see Bert in this entire episode, he's sitting, eating in the lobby, a background player to the drama unfolding up front.

Poor Allison. Some people could handle the kind of cold rejection Don handed out. Many can't, and Allison is one of the latter. It was interesting to see her tell Don, "I don't say this easily, but you are not a good person," because as fascinating as Don is to watch, Allison is not wrong. Seeing Don drinking alone in his office or his attempt to begin an apology letter to Allison, only to discard it, were more reminders of what a sad man he's become, in all sorts of different ways.

Peg's new friend, Joyce, clearly was eying Peg from the moment they met. I know we have been seeing Peg's continued evolution and really, she's never really been the meek, prim and proper girl she first appeared to be, but I don't know if I quite bought how casually she dealt with Joyce actually trying to kiss her. I'm not saying Peg wouldn't be more understanding and able to deal with it kindly than others might, but she is a woman of her era and upbringing, and I'd expect her simply to be a bit more surprised that it happened in the first place. But who knows, Peg is far more in touch with the progressive part of the 60s than the clinging to the past/50s aesthetics of some of her colleagues. We'll see if her closet make out with a guy she met at a party (While running from the cops, no less) is just another random experience for her, or the start of a new relationship.

Meanwhile, there was a lot of focus on Pete here, as he was told to drop his father-in-law's Clearasil account, to keep a bigger client happy. This led to Pete discovering Trudy is pregnant, which is raising some red flags for me. Why did Trudy truly keep this a secret from Pete for several days? It's hard not to wonder if she has reasons to think the baby isn't his… but we'll see. I enjoyed Joey (Matt Long) declaring "I would get her so pregnant," when hearing the news about Trudy – it almost felt like somewhat of an on-screen acknowledgement of the newfound popularity and fanboy crushes Alison Brie has been the subject of in the past year.

We also got to see the return, however briefly, of Ken Cosgrove, as Pete and Harry met him for lunch. Harry mentioned Ken as one of a group of young guys all coming up together, even if they're not at the same company any more, and I'm guessing this cameo from Ken will lead to a bigger storyline down the road – especially as we learn he is handling the Mountain Dew campaign. [Note: For those wondering, yes, I wrote this before seeing the episode that ran two weeks later].

Pete remains one of my favorite characters on this show. He has a lot of likable, quirky moments, but he also can be such a bastard. This was on display here, as he could have taken Trudy's offer to tell her dad herself about the account being dropped and dissipated the drama around the situation. Instead, he not only insisted he do it himself, but he turned it into a strong-arm moment, essentially demanding to be given even bigger accounts from his father-in-law, who declared, "You son of a bitch" – this was certainly the week for the men on this show to be told just how they are perceived, in a not so nice way.

I don't know if I need to see Pete and Peg ever get together as a couple, but I do like how the show can touch upon their bond/connection now and again. After Peg's more emotional reaction to learning he was going to have a child, with all the understandable baggage that contains for her, the two shared a sweet smile near the end, as they went their separate ways. It was one of Mad Men's typically understated, meaningful beats and pulled off very well by Elisabeth Moss and Vincent Kartheiser.